


When The Past Comes Back To Bite You

by Super_Secret_Slash_Agent



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Clint Feels, Clint Has Issues, Clint Needs a Hug, M/M, Natasha Is a Good Bro, Past Abuse, Tony Is Not Helping, Tony is a jerk, he makes up for it though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-26 20:16:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1701170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Secret_Slash_Agent/pseuds/Super_Secret_Slash_Agent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint may or may not have accidentally set Tony's lab on fire, it totally wasn't his fault though. Tony doesn't quite see it that way and blows up on his boyfriend... he doesn't exactly do it in the most considerate of ways and causes a few of Clint's ghosts to resurface. Natasha is not happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When The Past Comes Back To Bite You

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers

Tony looks at his lab, it looks ruined. Half of the surfaces are charred or covered in foam from the fire extinguisher, all his plans are gone. JARVIS has back ups, but that's not the point, the point is his stupid boyfriend had come down to the lab mid experiment and caused the thing to go haywire. There was a reason he had banned access to his lab today. Clint was just standing there, looking a little sheepish. Tony growled, "Dammit Barton. I said no one was to come down here today."

Clint blinks, "I was just..."

Tony takes a step towards the archer, "I don't care what you were doing, I said I didn't want anyone down here. Now half my blueprints are ruined, I can't gauge the results of the experiment, I have hours of cleanup for this and I'm pretty sure at least one of the computers is fried. So I don't want your excuses and 'I'm sorry's, I want you to leave before I get even more angry." At this point, Tony has Clint backed against a wall and is yelling in the other man's face. Tony turns away from Clint and grabs something of the nearby desk, hurling it and almost hitting Clint as he backs out of the room. Tony doesn't notice though, doesn't notice the fear in Clint's eyes or the way the normally graceful archer nearly trips over himself trying to leave. All Tony sees when he turns around is an empty room and a broken stapler laying a few feet from the door. Tony rubs a hand over his face and asks Jarvis to send in a cleaning crew, it seemed the experiment would have to be completed in the morning. Tony clears up what's left of his important documents and makes his way to the communal living room in hopes that Bruce has made lunch. He doesn't notice the brown paper bag sitting on his desk.

Tony smiles as he smells Bruce's cooking before he even gets to the kitchen. He enters and nods a hello to Steve before loading up a plate of food. Bruce looks surprised to see him, "I thought Clint was bringing you down something?"

Tony shrugged, "Eh, my lab is kinda charred at the moment so I figured I'd come up here to eat."

Steve shoots Tony a disapproving look, "It's not safe to be setting fire to your lab every week."

Tony held up his hands in self defense, "Not my fault this time. People should really listen when I say to stay out of my lab."

Bruce raises an eyebrow, "You always tell us to stay out of your lab, what was different this time?"

Tony sighed, "Experiment. Needed a controlled environment, instead I got a minor malfunction and a crispy lab."

Steve an Bruce shoot each other looks and roll their eyes. Tony doesn't mind, it's how they show their affection. They talk for a few hours, Tony going over his experiment with Bruce and Steve trying and failing to figure out what they are saying. It's almost two hours later when Natasha storms in and immediately lays Tony out. When Tony sits up, a hand to his likely broken nose, Natasha is being held back by Steve as Bruce hands him a hand towel for the blood. Tony winces as he presses the towel to his face, "What the hell Natasha?"

She shakes her head, "No Stark, I'm the one who should be asking that. What the hell did you do to him?"

Steve looks confused, "Do to who?"

Natasha glares at Steve till he lets her go. She promptly grabs the front of Tony's shirt. "You have five second to tell me why Clint came to me in the midst of a panic attack only able to say 'Sorry Tony, Sorry so sorry.'. It took me almost two hours to calm him down and get him to sleep. So Stark, I'm going to ask again, What. Did. You. Do. To. Him?"

Steve and Bruce looked shocked, torn between staying to find out what happened and checking on everyone's favorite archer. Tony shrugs, "I have no idea."

Unfortunately for Tony, that's when JARVIS decides to pipe up, "Sir, if I may. Perhaps it has to do with you rather rash reaction earlier in your lab."

Steve looks up at where he imagines JARVIS to be before looking at Tony, "Is he talking about when your experiment went wrong and set your lab on fire?"

Tony's brow furrows, could that be it? "I'm not sure. I don't think that was anything to freak out over."

Natasha growls, "I'll be the judge of that, JARVIS, show me the footage of what you were talking about."

JARVIS sounds like he's smiling as he responds, "Certainly Agent Romanoff." JARVIS brings up the footage and they watch as Clint strolls into Tony's lab, holding a brown bag which is likely filled with food, Tony hadn't seen that when Clint came in. Then things go wrong, the new repulsor that Tony was testing misfires and soon half the work benches are on fire before they are doused in fire retardant foam. Then it gets worse, Tony turns on Clint and start yelling. Tony winces as Clint's back hits the wall. Then video Tony turns away and it looks like things are over as Clint sets the food down and heads towards the door, then video Tony throws something across the room that smacks into the wall a few inches from Clint's head. Tony stares slack jawed at what he just watched, had he really done that? Had he really caused that fear on Clint's face, his Clint? Clint wasn't afraid of anything, he jumped from buildings without a second thought and trusted Hulk to catch him every time even if the big guy was blocks away for crying out loud. Apparently he was afraid of Tony though.

Tony is brought from his thoughts by the sound of Bruce's grunts, "Tony, I suggest you get out. The Other Guy is fond of Cupid, he isn't exactly happy with you." Steve grabs Bruces arm and shoots the genius a look that says 'fix this' before they head to the Hulk room so Bruce can let off some steam. Natasha takes the opportunity to punch him again, at least this time it's in the arm.

Tony looks down, "I didn't mean to throw that at him, or to yell like that. I was upset."

Natasha sighs, "I know that, but there are things in Clint's past, things he might not have told you about that make what happened a very bad thing."

Tony curses himself, "Shit, he was abused wasn't he? I mean, I knew he had it rough in the circus and the orphanage, but I've never thought about it before."

Natasha looks away, "Clint was witness to the worst of mankind from a very young age. He told me it took him a while to train that sort of response out of him. But this is his safe place, the only place I have ever seen him drop his guard. It will be hard for him to do so again."

Tony felt like the biggest jerk on the planet, "I need to talk to him, is he in your room?" Natasha nodded and waved for him to go, but not before giving him a look that promised pain if he made this worse. Yeah he was probably in for that anyways from the others, he was just glad that Thor was visiting Jane, he knew how much that hammer hurt.

Tony very quickly found himself looking down at a sleeping Clint Barton. Tony wondered how anyone could hurt someone who looked that peaceful in sleep. Tony sat on the edge of the bed and Clint's eyes shot open. Tony held his hands up in a placating gesture, "I just want to talk."

Clint moved so his back was against the headrest and then drew his knees up, wrapping his arms around them protectively. Tony tried not to think that it was him that caused Clint to act like this. After clearing his throat, Tony started, "I'm sorry." Clint looked shocked by the apology and even more so as Tony continued on, "I wasn't thinking, I was upset and I took it out on you and that doesn't excuse what I did cause that was a really shitty thing to do and I didn't mean to throw things at you, I didn't even realize where I had thrown it, or yell at you. I was a huge dick and I understand if you want to break up with me because you deserve more than someone who blows up on you when you try to bring them lunch."

Tony was out of breath and looking away from Clint by the time he finished, so he didn't see Clint move, didn't even feel the bed shift because Clint is just that much of a ninja. Then Tony had arms around him, hugging him and he wasn't sure what to do. Clint smiled into Tony's shoulder, "I'm not going to break up with you just because you are an asshat. I knew what I was getting into when we started this thing. I'm not mad at you, I more mad at myself for reacting the way I did. I shouldn't have done that, haven't for years. I know you didn't mean anything, my brain just shoved me back in time and I wasn't expecting it."

Tony growled, "You were justified in reacting like you did, hell I'm surprised you didn't kick my ass for that. I know you are super spy guy or whatever, but you are still human. You shouldn't blame yourself."

Clint smiled, "Good advice, you should listen to it."

Tony gave a wry smile, "Hardy-har-har.".

Clint laughed and pressed a kiss to Tony's lips, "I can't promise things are going to be the way they have always been, but I'll try."

Tony responded with a deeper kiss, "You know, we should probably take this to another room before Natasha kills us for having sex in her bed."

Clint laughs when he hears Natasha's voice call out from the hallway, "Tell JARVIS to tape it and send me the video, you guys are fine where you are." Tony grinned wide and manic and dove in for a kiss, sending Clint to the mattress, laughing the whole time.


End file.
